New Handlebar and Stem – December 3rd Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

The warm weather continues to hang around with some localized rain showers. Kingwood received some rain which is badly needed. This delayed my ride today to 2:57PM. While I waited for the rain to leave I removed the handlebar and stem from my Motobecane 700HT MTB. These were no name products and the rise on the stem angled at a strange slant so that I could not mount my Garmin Edge 500 there and still be able to read it. I also added bar ends that I had from my previous MTB. I missed these because of the limited hand positions. Now I can move my hands around and avoid some pain. I installed Easton EA30 handlebar and a EA50 stem. These now offer a normal look and rise. The hardest part about the change out was removing the handlebar grips. I twisted them off eventually. I used some soapy water to put them back on.

So I figured with these installed I better go for a test ride to see how they work. The Kingwood trails were still damp in many places but since they are paved it did not cause a major problem although I did slow down several times to ride through some puddles. I rode 17.1  miles in 76 to 78 degree temperature range under mostly cloudy skies. Since I was among trees almost the whole ride the 9 mph south breeze was not noticeable. December miles now total 74.68 and YTD miles are now 6351.83.

I am trying out another workout program, Golden Cheetah, so the slides below are from that program.

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Texas Bicycling Blog and News Roundup for December 2nd

Texbiker.net Posted on by

How to Replace a Cassette
by John             WWW.AustinBike.com
Replacing a cassette is pretty straightforward as long as you have the right tools.

Keeep in mind that the chain, crank rings and cassette all wear out over time. Typically the chain wears the fastest (it stretches) and the crank rings are next, so if you are replacing the cassette make sure you are checking the other two for wear. If you are replacing the cassette because you find your chain slipping, just know that the cassette is typically not the problem.

To do the job you need two things:  a cassette unlocking tool and a chain whip.  The cassette unlocking tool should correspond to the brand of cassette that you have, however most use a Shimano pattern (the one I am using is a SRAM, but it still uses the…

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Recap and Pics From The Richardson Christmas Parade
Bike Friendly Richardson

This is exactly the direction we want Bike Friendly Richardson to head. We want Richardson cyclists to have organic and spontaneous group rides that are organized by anybody interested in setting one up.

A few weeks ago, a couple of folks on the BFR Facebook page were wondering if there will be a BFR participation in the annual City of Richardson Christmas parade. With our busy schedules and efforts put into setting up our annual Black Friday Ride, we just didn’t have the…

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ATX100k “6-Pack” Series. Walnut, Muleshoe, Reimers, Pace Bend, BCGB, Emma Long!
by baconismidog                forums.mtbr.com
Show up and support a fledgling grassroots effort. It’s free, it’s 6 100k races over the course of the year, it’s scheduled to NOT conflict with any established race/series and if you finish 3 of the 6 (including the 100k of Emma Long) you get to wear the jersey!

First race is next SUNDAY, December 9th. Walnut creek, wheels down 8:30am for 6 laps of flow and fun. Texas Cycle Werks will have a wrench and tent on site to fix what ails ya.

Follow us:
Web: Austin 6-pack Series
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ATX100k
Twitter: @atx100k or http://twitter.com/ATX100k

Register at meetup or just show up and ride.
100k of Walnut – http://www.meetup.com/mountainbikes-…ents/89440362/
100k of Muleshoe – http://www.meetup.com/mountainbikes-…ents/93341782/

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Houston Bicycle Club
Upcoming Rides
Ride Date    Ride Name    Start Time    Starter
Sat 12/08/12     Christmas Lights Ride     5:30pm     Paul Choppin
Sat 12/08/12     Fulshear Trash Ride     9:00am     Ben & Marika Will

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Tweets

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No Snow Here – December 2nd Bike Ride

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Is this really December? A new record temperature of 83 was reached yesterday at the official Houston weather station replacing the previous high of 82 in 1970. When I left on my ride today it was 78 and by the time I finished it was 81 degrees at my home weather station. The scattered clouds were fewer today than yesterday and thankfully the wind was not as strong registering 9 mph from the south. According to the Houston Chronicle man on the weather page this could be with us for the next 10 days or so. This looks great for biking but we could use some rain.

Today’s 28.15 mile route went north to Community Drive and then through the Valley Ranch subdivision. I can see some site preparation for the soon to Grand Parkway extension just north of Community Drive. This will probably affect my biking routes while the construction takes place. The construction is supposed to take 2 to 3 years. My average speed was 15.5 mph, just like yesterday, 24.2 mph top speed and 78.2 RPM average cadence. Riding time was 1:49:01 and 5:58 stop time.

Mileage standings:

  • 140.25 this week
  • 57.9 for December
  • 6335.05 YTD

With this warm weather I might get some extra riding this month. In previous years December looked like this:

  • 269.41 in 2011
  • 228.85 in 2010
  • 123.18 in 2009
  • 177.9 in 2008

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Texas Bicycling Daily News Roundup – December 1st

Texbiker.net Posted on by

Bicyclist killed on N. Side (San Antonio)
By Ana Ley            www.mysanantonio.com
A bicyclist was struck and killed by an SUV on a dimly lit North Side road Thursday night.

A westbound Ford Explorer on Basse Road near Treeline Park rear-ended the bicyclist about 10:30 p.m., police said.

The bicyclist, 44, was riding on the right edge of the street with bags of groceries on his handlebars. The…

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Sylvan Avenue Bike Lanes proposed
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff

On December 10th at 6PM, the City of Dallas will hold a public meeting to review plans for converting the six lane Sylvan Road to four lane, with bike lanes and sidewalks. Currently, the street has no sidewalks, and a blind curve near Colorado that increases accident potential on the roadway. Be sure to head out to show your support for the proposed alignment. The larger the turnout, the better chance…

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Brazosport Bicycle Club
BBC Christmas Party, December 8th at 5:30.  Bring a dish to share and a $10 wrapped gift if you want to play the gift exchange game.

December Club Rides
12/4/2012     8:00 AM     Tuesday Morning Ride     Meet at Abner Jackson Park and Ride on 2004 near Lake Road.
12/7/2012     8:00 AM     Friday Morning Ride     Meet at Abner Jackson Park and Ride on 2004 near Lake Road.
12/8/2012     8:00 AM     Saturday Morning Ride     Meet at Lake Jackson Recreation Center.
12/8/2012     5:30 PM     Christmas Party     Bring a dish to share.
12/9/2012     8:00 AM     Sunday Morning Ride     Meet at 288 and 35 Park and Ride in Angleton.
12/11/2012     8:00 AM     Tuesday Morning Ride     Meet at Abner Jackson Park and Ride on 2004 near Lake Road.
12/14/2012     8:00 AM     Friday Morning Ride     Meet at Abner Jackson Park and Ride on 2004 near Lake Road.
12/15/2012     8:00 AM     Saturday Morning Ride     Meet at Lake Jackson Recreation Center.
12/16/2012     8:00 AM     Sunday Morning Ride     Meet at 288 and 35 Park and Ride in Angleton.
12/18/2012     8:00 AM     Tuesday Morning Ride     Meet at Abner Jackson Park and Ride on 2004 near Lake Road.
12/21/2012     8:00 AM     Friday Morning Ride     Meet at Abner Jackson Park and Ride on 2004 near Lake Road.
12/22/2012     8:00 AM     Saturday Morning Ride     Meet at Lake Jackson Recreation Center.
12/23/2012     8:00 AM     Sunday Morning Ride     Meet at 288 and 35 Park and Ride in Angleton.
12/28/2012     8:00 AM     Friday Morning Ride     Meet at Abner Jackson Park and Ride on 2004 near Lake Road.
12/29/2012     8:00 AM     Saturday Morning Ride     Meet at Lake Jackson Recreation Center.
12/30/2012     8:00 AM     Sunday Morning Ride     Meet at 288 and 35 Park and Ride in Angleton.

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Intermediate/Advanced Mountain Bike Ride
Houston Cycling Club
Saturday, December 8, 2012        10:00 AM
This will be a medium to fast pace ride through Memorial bike trails! Bring WATER, spare tube/tire, snacks, etc…Helmets required. Call if you are going to be late so we can wait for you. Wheels rolling by 10:00 am! See you there.
Here’s my info.     Robert H.

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Sunday All Level Ride time change to afternoons in effect December 2
by Il Pirate        Austin Ridge Riders
Please be advised that the popular Sunday All-Level Ride at Walnut Creek will be transitioning to the Fall/Winter hours effective December 2.  Wheels down will move to 1:30 p.m. from 9:30 a.m.

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Corinth Cycling

Jason Phillips racing RCP today and leaving a mark somewhere on the trail. Nice!

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Our Saturday Morning Rides: 25 years and still going strong!
North West Cycling Club
No other city in the nation can boast a cycling club like NWCC. And no other city has anything approaching NWCC’s famous “Saturday Morning Rides”.

For over 25 years, 52 Saturdays a year, rain or shine, cyclists numbering from 75 to well over 200 converge on the parking lot at Zube Park in far northwest Harris County. Many are club members; and many are non-club members who are always welcomed guests.

Club members volunteer to be the Saturday “Ride Starter”. By megaphone the Ride Starter welcomes everyone, gives a few Club announcements, then calls out the pace groups. Pace groups include “New Riders”, 14-16 mph, 16-18 mph, 18-20 mph, and 20+ mph.

Pace groups will cover distances from 20 to over 80 miles, riding on well-paved, quiet country roads in Harris and Waller Counties. Hours later, as the riders return, the Ride Starter sets out coolers of Gatorade and.

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The Pedaler Newsletter – December 2012
San Antonio Wheelmen
This month’s edition of The Pedaler has a couple of articles about bike safety.  Do you ride with a cell phone?  If so, do you have an “ICE” entry in your phone’s address book?  “ICE” stands for “In Case of Emergency”.  The ICE entry in your cell phone should include the numbers for the person or people to be contacted if you are unable to make a phone call after a cycling accident.  If you don’t have an “ICE” entry, I would recommend that you create one.

Of course, if you have a smart phone that requires a password in order to access anything on your phone, you’ll have to become a little creative.  Why?  Because…

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Look Who’s Loving the Bike: December 2012
by Darryl                lovingthebike.com
As we head into our last month of 2012, here’s a few people who are sharing their Loving the Bike stories with us.

At the top of each month we like to feature the amazing stories and memories of people who are loving the bike.  Please take a look at what these lovers have to say.  Hey…..and we’d love to hear from you as well….feel free to submit your “Look Who’s Loving the Bike” story to us at any time.
Stacey Hanna – Houston, TX…

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8:00am – Harden Dental Team Ride
by scottfranklin        Corinth Cycling Club
When: Sat Dec 15, 2012 8am to 11am  CST
Where: Ronny Crownover Middle School
Event Status: confirmed
Event Description: This is the weekly training ride for the Corinth Cycling/Harden Dental race team. This is a 62 mile loop on an established route. Expect a fast pace and be prepared to fix your own mechanicals. There are no stops on this ride.

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Tar Sands Blockade and Allies Host Community Bike Ride and Teach-In to Highlight Threats of Keystone XL
by Brett Collar            www.kltv.com
Released by Tar Sand Blockade:
NACOGDOCHES, TX – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2012 1:00 PM – A community coalition hosted a family-friendly community bike ride and educational event this morning to raise awareness of the dangers the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline poses on Texas communities’ water and land and to support local landowners in the pipeline’s path. The groups comprising the coalition include Tar Sands Blockade, Nacogdoches County S.T.O.P. (Stop Tar sands Oil Permanently), Stephen F. Austin State University student environmental group T.E.A.M. (Texas Environmental Awareness Movement) and the Nacogdoches Rat Skulls, a local…

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Tweets

https://twitter.com/BikePaulie/status/274851788019097600

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